They’re married and both coaching in March Madness: ‘Living the best life right now’

PORTLAND, OR – Everyone knows the sacrifices the spouse of a coach goes through, but what if both people in a marriage are coaches?

Even crazier, what if they’re both in the NCAA Tournament at the same time?

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It’s made for a March Madness family affair unlike any other at High Point. Men’s basketball coach Flynn Clayman and women’s basketball assistant coach Katie Clayman each have their teams in the Big Dance, achieving new heights with their respective programs.

What makes it even more fun? They’re getting to experience the run together.

“It’s just been perfect. I love the game of basketball. Then to find a woman that I love more than the game of basketball, I thought that was impossible, but it happened,” Flynn said.

High Point Panthers head coach Flynn Clayman watches his players during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center.

The couple have been with each other nearly every step of the way in their careers. They met while they were both assistants at Southern Utah, connecting simply because they were in the same athletic department. They spent multiple seasons at Southern Utah before they tied the knot.

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In fact, Flynn and Katie got married in May 2023, and not long after saying “I do,” they were packing up a U-Haul and on their way to begin their new roles at High Point. In April, Flynn was promoted to his first head coaching role.

Both men’s and women’s programs had successful seasons, each sweeping the Big South regular season and conference tournaments to punch their tickets to March Madness. When the men’s and women’s brackets were announced, it made for an interesting draw.

No. 12 seed High Point men played Thursday, March 19 against Wisconsin in Portland. No. 15 seed High Point women play Saturday, March 21 against Vanderbilt in Nashville.

Could Katie go see her husband’s first NCAA Tournament game before her team played? Absolutely, as she said head coach Chelsea Banbury insisted she’d make the trip.

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“My boss was great. It wasn’t even an ask,” Katie told USA TODAY Sports. “She’s a mom and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/theyre-married-both-coaching-march-084548374.html

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Publish date : 2026-03-21 08:45:00

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